Leon banter



(Nuo M5551.) 2 sheets-sheet 1. L. BNIER.

` GAS GENERATOR..

No. 551,943. Patented 1355.24, 1895.

Fllll- *Qi ZW ATTORNEYS.

AN DREW BGRAHAM. PHUTOYLITHWASNlNGmN. I7 C..

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

AL. BENIBR. GAS GENERATOR.

10.551,943. PatentedD eo.24,.1895

FE. EL 'L w/rA/Essfs.- ya /N/Eym v v l. BY

ANDREW B.GRHAM.PNOT0 UTMUWASNNGYUN DC UNITED i STATES j PATENT OFFICE.'

LEoN BENIER, or PARIS, FRANCE.

GAS-c EN ERA-ro R.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 551,943, dated December 24, 1895.

Application filed February 17, 1894. Serial No. 590,514. (No model.) Patented in France September 9, 1892, No. 224,238 in Belgium December 28, 1892, No. 102,726; in Switzerland December 30, 1892,1To. 6,096; in England January 2,1893,No. 64; in Italy January2,1893,No.33,31'7; in Spain February 1l, 1893, No. 14,161, and in Austria-Hungaryune 16,1898,

To all whom, 15 may concern:

Be it known that I, LON BNIER, engineer, a citizen of the Republic of France, residing in Paris, France, have invented certain Improvements in and Relating to Gas -Generators, (for which l have obtained a patent in France September 9, 1892, No. 224,238; in Belgium December 28, 1892, No. 102,726; in Switzerland December 30, 1892, No. 6,096; in Great Britain January 2, 1893, No. 64.; in Italy January 26, 1893, llo. 33,317; in Austria-Hungary June 16, 1893, No. 1,269, and in Spain February 11, 1893, No. 14,16.1,)7of which. the following is a specification.

My invention consists of a gas-generator, the operation of which is so intimately connected with that of the engine that the gas is formed only proportionate as it is consumed, and thus l can dispense with the costly and cumbrous reservoir of the gas -generators .heretofore used. For this purpose, at each stroke of its piston, the engine sucks theV mixture of air and steam which has to traverse the furnace in order to form the gas. As the gas-generator operates by suction, l obviate any tendency to leakage of gas into the atmosphere. This gas-generator, however, presents several other features which not only render its operation regular, but also enable it to be applied to gas-generators wherein the mixture of air and steam is introduced by compression.

A construction of my improved gas-generator is represented in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 shows a vertical section through the axis of the generator. Fig. 2 is a vertical section on a plane at right ang-les to that shown in Fig. l, and Fig. 3 is ahorizontal section of the generator.

As in other gas-generators the fuel is iirst introduced into a small chamber h provided with two doors d and c, one above and the other below. To charge the generator, I open the upper door a., while the lower door c is closed. When the fuel has been introduced into the chamber,'the upper door is closed and the lower door opened, so that the fuel will fall into the furnace. To close the lower door, I employa device which comprises a horizontal slide c iixed upon a vertical shaft d, which is actuated by a handle. Aspring d5 presses the slide against the lower part of the cham ber for making a good joint.

The boiler which supplies the steam necessary for the operation of the gas-generator is placed directly above the furnace on the same axial line. Itis of annular form and composed of two vertical cylinders g and j. The outer cylinder c ,with which the hot gas comes in contact on leaving the furnace, is made of castiron and is provided with ribs 71,. The inner cylinder j is made of copper. These two cylinders are connected at the lower part by a fixed joint, and at the upper part by a sliding joint, as by passing the inner cylinder j through. a stuffing-box g/, carried by the upper end of the outer cylinder. The inner cylinder y serves as a reservoir for the fuel.

The water is admittedto the boiler through the inlet-tube cd. The excess of water flows out through the pipe h as soon as the level of the water in the boiler reaches the height necessary for entering this pipe. The two tubes d and b are bent to provide therein columns of water suicient to prevent the steam from escaping through these pipes.

, To obtain a gas which has constantly the same richness, it is necessary that the proportion of air and steam introduced into the furnace Yshall always be the same. For the proper working of the engine this is quite essential, for if too much steam enters the fire will be extinguished, while if there is not sufficient steam in proportion to the air the gas obtained becomes too poor.

The following improved arrangement insures great regularity in the operation of the gas-generator, for the steam and air introduced are always in constant proportion, whatever may be the total volume drawn in..

The air and steam are introduced by suction into a small box q wherein they become mixed, Fig. 1. 0 and the steam through the aperture n. The volume of aiiiintroduced and that of the steam are proportional to the relative sectionsof the apertures o and n; but in order that this proportion may remain constant it is needful that the air and steam, before thisV introduction, shall be at an absolutely constant' pressure. i The air being taken at the atmospheric pressure, the steam must also be The air enters through the apertures,

IOO

introduced exactly at the atmospheric pressure. For this purpose the steam is formed in the boiler at a pressure equal to a column of water of a few centimeters. This steam is conducted through a pipe Z to the upper part of an expansion-chamber m completely open by a broad section at its lower part. It follows that the steam contained in this chamber m, wherein the aperture pn, terminates, will always be exactly at the atmospheric pressure, and whatever the volume drawn in the air and steam will always enter in a proportion determined by the relative sections of the orifices o and n.

It is useful to heat the mixture of air and steam, as is also effected in other gas-generators, to the highest possible temperature before introducing it into the furnace. The improved arrangement for this heating is as follows: The furnace is formed of two concentric cylinders r and fu, `each lined with refractory material t, and so placed as to leave between them lan annular space of som-e millimeters, through which the mixture is caused to pass. The `cylinder r which contains the lire is placed in the interior of the cylinder fu. The mixture of fair and steam introduced into the annular space between these two cylinders, `at the upper part at q, traverses the annular space 'from the top to the bottom in 'order to pass below the grate. The princilple vof this heating is not new, as other apparatus have utilized conduits in the walls of the furnace; but this latter arrangement i-s very defective because of leakage, and moreover each time the refractory material is changed the conduits have to be reconstrncted.

The gas is caused to enter the water in the for'm of thin layers in Aorder to increase the extent of contact-surfaces between the :water and the gas. The hot gas coming from the gas-generator arrives in the upper part of a vertical cylinder c', the lower part of which is lled with water. A cylinder d is placed in this cylinder c', so yas Vtov leave between the tw'o lcylinders 'an annular space of from two to three millimeters. The lower part 'of this cylinderd dips into the water. The gas arriving at c in the washer traverses the annular space wherein it iis Vconducted through the water in thin layers a-nd passes into the interior 'of the `cylinder CZ. The water arrives in thewasher-'as a continuous Vcurrent through the, pipe r and flowsout through the pipe m. The vessel o iilled with water, into which the tfube n dips, forms -a hydraulic joint. The wafter which flows into the vessel o is discharged through the pipe 29.

The drawings represent the washer in a state of -res-t, at which time the level of the water in the interior of the bell d is the same as at the exterior of the bell in the vessel c; but during the working of the apparatus the level at the exterior is lowered as far as the lower edge of the bell d".

The chimney y and the valve Qc, Fig. 1, serve for the lighting up lof the fire.

The apparatus works as follows: As the engine draws the gas from the reservoir cl2, by the piston of a pump, a ventilator or any other means (not shown in the drawings, as it forms no part of the novelty of my invention) air is drawn into the box q through the apertures o and steam at atmospheric pressure through the aperture n. The mingled steam and air are sucked from the box q into the annular space between the cylinders r and t, where the mixture is heated, to the space beneath the grate, and up through the fire, where the gas is formed. The gas passing up between the boiler g and the cylinder r passes into the washer, between the inner shell d and the outer shell d. As the suction from the reservoir d2 by the engine continues, the gas is drawn down into the water in the washer, under the lower edge of the cylinder d', into the reservoir d2. It will thus be seen that the amount of gas generated is regulated by the amount used by the engine, and the gas will be uniform, the steam and gas being drawn in by the suction at exactly the same pressure, any surplus steam escaping freely into the atmosphere.

I `claim as my invention- 1. In a gas generator, the combination of a furnacel having air and steam inlets, with a steam chamber open to theatmosphere at its lower part, and from which the said steam inlet leads, a `gas outlet pipe adapted to be connected with means for sucking the air and steam through the furnace, whereby the air and steam at the inlets 'are at the same pressure and drawn into the furnace at always the same proportionate quantities, substantially as described.

2. In a gas generator,th'ecombination of two concentric cylinders lined with refractory material, and so placed as to leave an annular space between them, the inner Vone forming the fire-place and provided with a grating at the bottom, with air and steam inlets into the upper part'of the said annular space, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

3. A gas generator comprising two concentric cylinders having an annular space between them, the inner one forming the f urnace and provided with a grating at the bottom thereof, a boiler above the furnace, with a steam Vchamber communicating with the boiler, open to the atmosphere at its lower part, and provided with an orifice leading into the upper part of said annular space, and air inlets also leading into the upper part yof the annular space, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this 'specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses. I

LEON BENER.

Vitnesses:

LoN FRANCKEN, OLYDE SHRorsHIRE.

IOO

IIO

IZO 

